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Choosing Ernie Clement over Santiago Espinal paid off well for the Blue Jays
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Dec 30, 2025, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 30, 2025, 11:35 EST
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One of the Toronto Blue Jays’ best decisions in recent memory is choosing Ernie Clement over Santiago Espinal.
Before the beginning of the 2024 season, the Blue Jays had to make a choice: Lose Espinal or lose Clement, as both infielders were both out of options. The Blue Jays chose the younger Clement and it paid off drastically for them.
In his first full big league season, Clement slashed .263/.284/.408 with 12 home runs in 452 plate appearances for a 94 wRC+ and 2.1 fWAR, finishing as a finalist for the American League Gold Glove at third base in 2024. Clement was even better in 2025, slashing .277/.313/.398 with nine home runs in 588 plate appearances for a 98 wRC+, finishing with a 3.2 fWAR thanks to strong defence that made him finish as a finalist for both the third base and utility Gold Glove.
That doesn’t even mention his record-setting playoff performance. Clement slashed .411/.416/.562 with a home run in 77 plate appearances, giving him a 171 wRC+. He totalled 30 hits, setting the record for the most hits in a single playoff run.
However, Espinal’s tenure as a Blue Jay should be remembered fondly. Acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox for Steve Pearce, Espinal made his big league debut in 2020, but didn’t become a regular until 2021. Without a third baseman, Espinal stepped up into that role and slashed .311/.376/.405 with two home runs in 246 plate appearances with fantastic defence at the hot corner.
Espinal had a strong 2022 season as well, slashing .267/.322/.370 with seven home runs in 491 plate appearances for a 100 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR. In fact, Espinal even earned a spot at the All-Star Game that season. The magic was gone by the 2023 season, as Espinal appeared in just 93 games and slashed .248/.310/.355 with two home runs in 254 plate appearances for a 79 wRC+.
That begs the question, what has Espinal been up too since the Blue Jays made that decision? Well, the Jays traded him to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for prospect Chris McElvain, who had an okay stint with the High-A Vancouver Canadians in 2025.
In his first season as a Red, Espinal slashed .246/.295/.356 with a career-best nine home runs in 391 plate appearances, but only had a 76 wRC+. Espinal mainly played third base that season, finishing with -4 Defensive Runs Saved and -1 Outs Above Average.
The utility infielder’s decline only increased in 2025, as he slashed .243/.292/.282 with no home runs in 328 plate appearances, giving him a 58 wRC+ and -0.3 fWAR. At the end of the season, Espinal was designated for assignment by the Reds and later elected free agency, where he remains.
It’s hard to argue (actually pretty much impossible) that the Blue Jays didn’t make the right decision two years later.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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